MORE ice cream reports - burnt sugar and low fat? Maybe

As nooodles and carb lover and smokey know, I am a fan of the no-cook ice cream. However, I thought I'd give the cooked stuff a try today. AND, it occurred to me that since I didn't have cream or half and half, I'd use non-fat evaporated milk.....perhaps the key to the lowfat I mentioned I was looking for?

I was originally only going for burnt sugar. Here is the recipe I used:

Directions: melt the sugar in a pan, stirring constantly until dark brown over medium high heat. Simultaneously heat the cream and milk over medium heat until just starting to bubble around the edges. Slowly add the milk into the melted sugar.

Beat egg yolks and salt and temper into the milk/sugar mixture, heat over medium until lightly thickened. Add vanilla and brandy. Cool in refrigerator. Churn in ice cream maker.

So, I did all of the above except I used an entire can of non-fat evaporated milk and then enough 2% milk to make 2.5 cups. And of course a teensy bit extra salt.

Just off the stove, the burnt sugar taste in the custard was neat but didn't taste nearly sweet enough for me. I didn't want to add more sugar (although I guess I could have, it was hot enough it would have melted) but instead I added my old standby - 1/2 cup (approx.) of Cadbury Drinking Chocolate. Then I put in about 1/3 tsp of cinnamon. Man, what a difference.

I let it get cool in the fridge (maybe I should have gone for really cold) and then put it in the mixer. It came out VERY soft but with an excellent flavor. After about three hours in the freezer it's perfect: super creamy, very rich with a great bitter edge that my husband equates to coffee (which I don't like) and I equate to really dark chocolate.

I figured out that the non-cook ice cream I normally make has a much lighter, almost ice milk consistency (which I like - mainly for nostalgia) while this is like frozen decadence: thick and super rich. I can't believe how custard-like this came out even though it's non-fat evaporated milk. Let me put it this way - I can put AWAY some ice cream and I'm done after about five spoonfuls of this stuff.

I've read that sometimes alcohol will keep it from getting really well-set in the ice cream maker - does anyone know?

The only draw back with the cooked stuff, for me, was the time it takes. The non-cook I don't have to cool off in the fridge, usually. Great if I want ice cream quick. However, I know from experience that the non-fat milk won't work with the no cook version.

I'm thinking of trying raw sugar or melt the block of cane juice i have next time - any thoughts? I thought it might add an extra layer of flavor with the molasses taste.

I'm also going to go with an entire cup of sugar next time to get the right sweetness.

Wish I had a pic but it would have consisted of me with a spoon eating it out of the container.

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